valariesmith's review
4.0
Ron Rosenbaum is an excellent and enthusiastic tour guide, introducing non-academics to some of today's most pressing issues in Shakespeare scholarship. I had some frustrations with this book - it could've used a good edit to eliminate the repetitive material and condense some lengthy conversations - but it's really changed the way I read and understand Shakespeare.
sigmamorrigan's review against another edition
5.0
From the beginning, Mr. Rosenbaum reminds us that the constant biographical fascination with Shakespeare's life is simply a red herring; unless someone finds a heretofore undiscovered collection of diaries written by Will himself, we are simply never going to know all that much about his life. The true focus of our investigations should be the works he left behind, works that contain glorious and almost limitless paths of discovery. Rosenbaum takes us through the academic battles that rarely make papers: how many Hamlets are there, the Hand D controversy, reviser vs write-em-and-leave-em, etc. This is the perfect introduction to Shakespearean scholarship for those with no experience in that department. For those with some experience with Shakespeare, it provides a delightful starting point interesting topics of study. Highly recommended!
sungmemoonstruck's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This exploration of various controversies in Shakespeare studies varies wildly, from fascinating and engaging discussions that are accessible to the everyday reader interested in Shakespeare to dull and long-winded chapters about the debate over original spelling and the nuances of the complicated literary theories that Rosenbaum claims to disdain. He does write in a personable and entertaining style and is unafraid to include slightly embarrassing anecdotes from his personal life. The book also gives you a good sense of the various large personalities involved in Shakespeare studies and will make the reader reconsider what they thought they knew about Shakespeare, especially in the opening chapter about the three versions of Hamlet. Recommended for the avid Shakespeare fan seeking to get a better sense of the scholarship and who's willing to commit to 550 pages.
This exploration of various controversies in Shakespeare studies varies wildly, from fascinating and engaging discussions that are accessible to the everyday reader interested in Shakespeare to dull and long-winded chapters about the debate over original spelling and the nuances of the complicated literary theories that Rosenbaum claims to disdain. He does write in a personable and entertaining style and is unafraid to include slightly embarrassing anecdotes from his personal life. The book also gives you a good sense of the various large personalities involved in Shakespeare studies and will make the reader reconsider what they thought they knew about Shakespeare, especially in the opening chapter about the three versions of Hamlet. Recommended for the avid Shakespeare fan seeking to get a better sense of the scholarship and who's willing to commit to 550 pages.
fossen's review against another edition
5.0
There have been few books I can think of recently that I cleared the decks to read, that I stole time for. Perhaps this is just a reading Perfect Storm, a collision of reader and text at a perfect time. At the age of 18, [a:Jan Kott|23658|Jan Kott|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1237477566p2/23658.jpg]'s [b:Shakespeare Our Contemporary|42067|Shakespeare Our Contemporary (Norton Library (Paperback))|Jan Kott|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223648813s/42067.jpg|41561] opened my eyes and changed the course of my life, and Ron Rosenbaum's overview of the great battles of Shakespeare scholarship and interpretation has done the same. Rosenbaum is opening up a world here, providing a roadmap, a path into the great books I should head towards next and that sense the journey isn't done and can never be done is part of the thrill.
Immensely passionate, immensely scholarly, immensely readable … this is the book I wish I could write. But talking about personalities as well as concepts, and always keeping his personal preoccupations front-and-center, Rosenbaum keeps this a book of journey and exploration. Highly, highly recommended.
Immensely passionate, immensely scholarly, immensely readable … this is the book I wish I could write. But talking about personalities as well as concepts, and always keeping his personal preoccupations front-and-center, Rosenbaum keeps this a book of journey and exploration. Highly, highly recommended.
efbeckett's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a fan of Rosenbaum's writing and every chapter has a good premise and interesting ideas, but they go on and on and I always found my attention wandering. Probably will be a good book to dip into every now and then but I think sustained cover-to-cover reading was a mistake for me and by the end I was perilously close to skimming.
Or am I just getting too old for digressions?
Or am I just getting too old for digressions?
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